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Vocera (VCRA) Leverages Amazon's Alexa to Boost Patient Experience

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Vocera Communications, Inc. has joined forces with multinational technology company — Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN - Free Report) — to enhance the patient experience on the back of an avant-garde voice technology solution by leveraging the latter’s Alexa virtual assistant. Dubbed Vocera skill for Alexa, the offering capitalizes on a set of technologies from Alexa Smart Properties.

Of late, the majority of people across the globe have been getting accustomed to using voice technology for day-to-day activities. As a result, healthcare facilities, too, are migrating toward leveraging the benefits of a voice assistant for establishing a simplified and enhanced clinical communications infrastructure.

Against this backdrop, the latest partnership underscores Vocera’s commitment to improving patient safety and experience backed by Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant platform. The Vocera skill for Alexa offering will be specifically designed to deliver a hands-free and engaging voice experience to patients, staff members, and families.

Without unnecessary interruptions, patients will be able to connect with their families and the right care teams with simple voice requests through the Amazon Echo device present in the patient’s room. In this way, the accessible nature of a voice assistant can help care teams to save time and personalize care while minimizing cognitive overload among clinicians.

Further, the verbal updates or voice requests from patients will be delivered to the appropriate team member on their choice of device, which includes Vocera Badge or Vina smartphone application. The Vocera skill for Alexa will identify phrases and keywords from the patient. It will then leverage the intelligent Vocera Engage software to pass on the message to the appropriate person.

This helps in streamlining the overall communication workflow, thanks to improved response times, staff collaboration, and patient care. The Vocera skill for Alexa will be HIPAA-eligible for healthcare customers. This combined offering from Vocera and Amazon is likely to be a game-changer for skilled nursing facilities and smart hospitals, revamping the way patients communicate with nurses. The solution can also be used in the hospitality industry to elevate the consumer experience.

Vocera’s solutions are specifically designed to increase productivity and improve patient and staff satisfaction with minimized costs. Driven by a resilient business model, the company is widely known for offering the best platform for communication and workflow optimization.

Its solutions range from a patent-protected, intelligent enterprise software platform to smartphone applications. Its communication and collaboration solution enables users to connect instantaneously, reduce alarm fatigue, and enhance workflow.

It is worth mentioning that Vocera’s solutions are relied upon by care teams in nearly 1,900 healthcare facilities worldwide. With more than two decades of expertise in voice technology and hands-free communication together with a portfolio of more than 150 third-party party clinical integrations, the company continues to widen its ecosystem of technology partners to gain access to the best communication products and services.

Vocera currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The San Jose, CA-based company’s shares have surged 82.4% compared with the industry’s growth of 23.9% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Harmonic, Inc. (HLIT - Free Report) is a better-ranked stock in the industry, sporting a Zacks Rank #1. The consensus estimate for current-year earnings has been revised 23.1% upward over the past 30 days.

Harmonic delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 61.1%, on average. The stock has appreciated 72.7% in the past year. HLIT has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 15%.

Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET - Free Report) is another solid pick for investors, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The consensus estimate for current-year earnings has been revised 3.9% upward over the past 30 days.

Arista Networks delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6%, on average. It has rallied 93.9% in the past year. ANET has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 16.7%.


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